Advertising-card holder



I (No Model.) V 2 Sheets-Sheehl.

. A. BROMBERG.

ADVERTISING CARD HOLDER. No. 435.352. Patented Aug. 26, 1890.

WITNESSES:

BAY 6.44m.

ATTORNEY.

(No Model.) zsheets-s heetz. S. A. BROMBERG.

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ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL A. BROMBERG, OF LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO ISAAC H. SOATES AND JOHN R. WOODS, BOTH OF BALTI- MORE, MARYLAND.-

ADVERTlS-ING-CARD HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 435,352, dated August 26, 1890. Application filed March 26, 1890. Serial No. 345,333. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL A. BROMBERG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lexington, in the county of Fayette and State of Kentucky,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Advertising-Business Card Holders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a holder for business-cards, and comprises means for holding a number of the small cards, such as are usually carried by business men in the pocket, and displaying one of the number and providing for the easy and convenient removal of one card at a time.

The object of the invention is to provide means for displaying and facilitating the distribution of business-cards, so that by use of the devices comprising the invention a business man may have a number of his businesscards placed in some conspicuous public place-such as the reading-room of a hotel or the passenger-room of a railway-station where the cards will be kept safely and displayed to view, and where any one interested may detach a card.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of a frame supporting a number of the business-card holders. Fig. 2 is a front view of three of the improved card-holders in the normal position as when attached to the frame. Fig. 3 is a side and part sectional view of the three holders, showing details. Fig. 4. is a section of one holder. Fig. 5 is a top view of one holder. Fig. 6 is a back view of the card-follower of the holder. Figs. 7 and 8 are views of the device for checking the cards or preventing the removal of more than one at a time. Fig. 9 is a view of one of the catch-plates on the back of the frame.

The invent-ion may be divided into two parts, to wit: first, the card-holder properas, for example, substantially like that shown in Figs. 4 and 5-and, second, the supportingframe with card-holders on it, like that shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

The card-holder comprises a receptacle of the proper size to contain, say, about a hundred cards, and has an open front or a glass front.

The letterA designates a receptacle having an inclined bottom 1), two vertical sides 0, and a back d. The top edges of the sides incline and are parallel with the bottom.

At the front the holder has a glass plate 6.

The cards f are to be placed in the receptacle at the top and should stand up edgewise with the bottom edges resting on the inclined bottom I), and the front face bearing against the glass front 6.

Between the glass front and the front edge of the inclined bottom is an open slot g, (see Figs. 3 and 4,) down through which one of the cards f may be drawn.

The glass plate at its lower edge is provided with a finger-notch It, so as to enable a person to place his thumb or finger in direct contact with the front card and thereby draw said card down through the slot g.

A check device is employed in connection with the open narrow slot g, to prevent more than one card at a time from being drawn out.

This device consists of a yielding presserblock 1', attached to the bottom I), and projecting across the open slot g toward the glass plate e, as shown in Fig. 3. It will be seen that when a person places his thumb at theglass notch h against the front card and draws said card downward the back of the card will be in contact with the yielding presser-blocks 71, which will hinder any other card than the front one from slipping down through the slot. The yielding block 1' may be rubber, leather, or other suitable material, and occupy a groove is in the bottom I). The blocks z'in the present instance are each attached by a pin 02 to a metal bar I, which has a slot m. A screw 0 passes through the slot and into the bottom I) and holds the bar in position.

AfollowerB is suspended at itstop andhangs' withdrawal of cards f above another that the bottom of loosely in two bearings r at the back (Z. The free ends of the two wires rest in notches s on a cross-bar s at the front of the receptacle and over the glass plate. The follower B may be removed by lifting the free ends of the two wires q.

To prevent the lower part of the suspended follower. from swinging backward, a racked groove 25 is made across the center of the bottom 1), (see Figs. 4 and 5,) and a finger-pawl t is attached to the follower and projects into the said racked groove. This device will allow the follower to slide forward, but will prevent it from being pushed back by any one when removing a card. The teeth of the racked groove are below the top surface of the bottom, and therefore do not hinder the cards from sliding forward.

An indicator C is provided to show when the cards in the receptacle are becoming nearly exhausted. This indicator consists of a wire C (see Figs. 4., 5, and 6) attached to the followerB at one end and projecting into an inclined groove 14 on one of the vertical sides a. The indicator-wire points forward toward the front, and a hole a at the front of the receptacle has position coincident with the inclined groove u. Thus when upon the the follower B has moved near enough to the front the end of the wire indicator 0 will be seen protruding from the front hole a, and it will then be known that the card-receptacle should be replenished. This indicator serves to give notice of the fact that more cards should be supplied, and avoids the objection of letting the receptacles become empty.

If one of the holders or receptacles should be used alone, a suitable cover should be provided but where a large number of the holders are mounted on a supportingframe, as in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, they may be so placed one one receptacle will cover the top of another, and thus a separate or special cover for each one will be avoided.

The supporting-frame may be of any desired construction. It must have a back D and legs or feet E. It may have a mirror F, and may be ornamented, as desired. It also has a top board G to serve as a.cover for the upper row of card-receptacles.

I provide means for the ready attachment and detachment of the receptacles A to the frame-back D. Said back has a number of catch-plates 1), each provided with an oblong 'v, as seen in Fig. 3. A part turn of the fast" ening-bolt will put the hook w" in position to engage with or disengage from the catchplate. When the two fastening-bolts w of a receptacle are properly turned, the said receptacle may be detached from the frame. By this arrangement and combination any numberof card-receptaclesA may be mounted on .a frame, as shown in Fig. 1.

Various parts of the construction of these receptacles may be altered or modified without affecting the scope of my invention or departing from the claims hereinafter stated.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. A business-card holder comprising a receptacle A, having an inclined bottom, a glassplate front, a withdrawal-slot between the said glass-plate and the lowermost edge of the bottom, and a yielding presser device at the bottom projecting across the withdrawalslot toward the glass plate.

2. A business-card holder comprising a receptacle having a glass-plate front with a fingernotch h at its lower edge, a bottom which inclines toward the said glass front, and a withdrawal-slot between the said glass plate and the lowermost edge of the bottom.

3. A business-card holder comprising a receptacle having a bottom which inclines toward the front, an inclined wire at the top, and a follower B, suspended loosely on and so as to slide down the inclined wire.

4. A business-card holder comprising a receptacle having a bottom which inclines toward the front and which is provided with a racked groove 25 across its top surface, an inclined wire at the top, and a follower B, sus pended loosely on and so as to slide down the inclined wire and provided with a finger-pawl to engage with the racked groove.

5. A business-card holder comprising a receptacle having a bottom which inclines toward the front, two inclined wires at the top connected by a cross-wire which is loose in bearings, so as to allow the free ends of the wires to belifted, and afollowerB, suspended IIO loosely on and so as to slide down theinclined wire.

6. A business-card holder comprising a receptacle A, having an inclined bottom, a glassplate front, a withdrawal-slot between the said glass plate and lowermost edge of the bottom, a follower automatically movable toward the glass plate, and an indicator device attached to the follower and visible at the front.

7. A business-card holder comprising a receptacle A, having an inclined bottom, a glassplate front, a withdrawal-slot between the said glass plate and lowermost edge of the bottom, a follower automatically movable toward the glass plate, a groove on one of the vertical sides of the receptacle, and an indicator device attached to the said follower and which projects into the groove and points to- Ward the front.

I 8. The combination of a business-card receptacle and revoluble fastening -bolts attached to the receptacle and extending in a direction from front to back and provided at their rear ends with a hook.

9. The combination of a supporting-frame 5 and business-card receptacles attached to the frame by means that will permit of ready detachment, said receptacles having inclined bottoms and open tops and a vertical back in contact with the frame and placed one above to another, as shown.

10. The combination of asnpporting-frame having catch-plates provided with an oblong slot, and card-receptacles provided with revoluble fastening-bolts attached to the receptacle and extending in a direction from front 15 to back and provided at their rear ends with a hook to engage in said oblong slots;

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

SAMUEL A. BROMBERG.

\Vitnesses:

A. G. MCILWAINE, J r., J. W. LACY. 

